Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Pass This Difficult General Knowledge Test?

Heather Cahill

Image: SEAN GLADWELL / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Were you the student who knew all of the answers to every question your teacher asked? Could you spew out fun facts and pieces of information on a whim? If you answered yes to these questions, then this is the quiz for you. Experts in geography, math and life, in general, will have no trouble with this quiz. You're probably known as the trivia master in your friend group.

If you can remember random facts you learned throughout your life, then you can probably ace this quiz. Some of this knowledge can be picked up in school; other knowledge is something you might learn from experience. It can be from books or even common knowledge. This quiz will take you from the sea, to space and around the world to meet some of the most notorious people who have ever lived. There's nothing to be afraid of if you know something about everything, that is.

You're the person that nobody wants to compete against in "Trivial Pursuit." It doesn't matter what subject you're quizzed on, you can ace it with flying colors. So, if you think you are a general knowledge master, then take the quiz to prove it!

Highways are a network that help us to get around easier. What is the longest highway in the world?

Pan American Highway

Interstate 90

Trans-Canada Highway

Stelvio Pass

The Pan-American Highway stretches through multiple countries in both North and South America, from Argentina to Alaska. If you travel to a certain area on the highway, you can no longer drive and must take a plane or boat to cross!

Most wars last quite a long time. What was the shortest war in history?

Seven Years' War

Crimean War

Second Boer War

Anglo-Zanzibar War

The Anglo-Zanzibar War is very unique in its own way. After all, it only lasted 38 minutes! It ended in an English victory. In contrast to this short war, the longest war ever recorded was the Iberian Religious Wars which lasted 781 years.

NASA stands for what?

Neutral And Standard Association

New Administration of Sweden Act

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Nifty and Spacious Area

NASA has many responsibilities which involve flight and space exploration. They are always doing research and learning as much as they can about space. Increasing our knowledge of the universe around us is as important as taking care of our Earth.

Glass sculptures are quite delicate. What word is used for creating them?

Glassblowing

Glassmaking

Glassconstructing

Glassing

Glassblowing is a mesmerizing activity that takes a lot of skill, patience and concentration. Often the results are quite incredible. After the glassblower gets the air into the molten glass, it is sculpted into a gorgeous creation.

Which actor/actress has been in more than 280 movies/television shows?

Brad Pitt

Meryl Streep

Clint Eastwood

Christopher Lee

According to the Houston Press, legendary actor Christopher Lee appeared in more than 280 movies. Although it took him a little while to get his foot in the door, once he did, Lee had no shortage of acting jobs. His first film came out in 1947 and it was called "Corridor of Mirrors."

The longest word in the English language, "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis," means what?

It's a word used for a type of lung disease.

It's a word that means "minuscule."

It is used to describe an emotion.

It's a kind of weather.

This 45-letter word takes the cake on the longest word in the English language. The lung disease that it is used for is known to be caused through the inhalation of volcanic ash, according to the Oxford Dictionary. That's where the "volcano" part of the word comes from.

Hedy Lamarr is known for being a talented actress, but do you know what she invented?

Lenses

Engines

Frequency hopping

Lasers

We have Hedy Lamarr to thank for the fact that we now have WiFi and Bluetooth since frequency hopping was the precursor to both. After giving the invention to the American government, they completely disregarded her.

This sport is similar to the Olympics in its frequency. Which cup is played every four years in soccer/football?

The Stanley Cup

The Wanamaker Trophy

The Beighton Cup

The World Cup

The World Cup is a prestigious trophy that is awarded to the winning soccer team every four years. The country who has won the World Cup the most times is Brazil, with five wins. A few other countries are pretty close behind.

The largest island in the world is what?

Oahu

Luzon

Greenland

Baffin Island

We all know Greenland as a country but it's not always remembered as an island. As for other islands, there is not an official total due to the fact that islands are always appearing and disappearing, making it quite difficult to keep the number accurate.

It's time to think back to the Periodic Table. What is the symbol for chlorine?

Cl

On

Ty

H2

The symbol for chlorine comes from the Periodic Table of Elements. People often wonder why certain elements have symbols that aren't reminiscent of their names. One reason is that the symbol is derived from a language other than English.

Which of the following is a type of operating system?

Windows

iOS

Android

All of the above

Operating systems are very important to the functioning of things such as our phones and computers. Their purpose is to complete the processes needed for the computer or phone to do as you ask and hold the information that you need.

There are 24 hours in a day, but what do 8,760 hours equal?

14 months

95 days

A year

Two years

The number of hours in a year is 8,760. To put it into better perspective, someone who works a typical 40-hour week spends approximately 2,080 hours working in a year. That's if you show up every single day and are always on time.

The most expensive painting ever sold is which of the following?

"Las Meninas"

"Girl With A Pearl Earring"

"Salvator Mundi"

"Guernica"

"Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo da Vinci sold for more than $400 million, making it the most expensive painting ever sold. He was well known for making extremely valuable and incredible paintings throughout his life.

Which of the following is not a part of the brain?

Cerebrum

Cuboid

Brain stem

Cerebellum

The cuboid is a bone in the human foot. It's almost in the center of the foot and its purpose is to give us stability when moving around. It's a very important part of our body and without it, we would have a little more trouble getting around.

It's not much of a possibility but if you ventured to the center of the Earth, what would you find?

Metal

Lava

Water

Ice

If you went straight to the Earth's core, you would find a center made of metal. Specifically, it's made out of mostly iron with a little bit of nickel in the mix. Although it can be pretty cold in some places here on the Earth's crust, you would never be cold if you were at its core.

Knowing the order of our planets it important. The fourth planet from the sun is what?

Jupiter

Earth

Venus

Mars

Mars is known as the hot planet, which may seem weird because Earth is even closer to the sun. One thing that many people have started to look forward to is the colonization of the red planet, although it's not set in stone when we might make it there.

The most popular video game in the world by sales is what?

"Tetris"

"Super Mario 64"

"Grand Theft Auto V"

"Dark Souls"

Ever since its release, "Tetris" has become a huge hit all around the world. More than 100 million copies have been sold worldwide and the game is remembered for its iconic colored blocks that have to be placed just right.

Part of playing sports is wearing the proper equipment. Which of the following equipment is not used in rugby?

Jersey

Cleats

Stick

Mouthguard

In rugby, there are no sticks used. Instead, the ball is kicked or passed to other players. The teams are quite large as they are made up of 15 players on each side. Did you know that at one point, it was an Olympic sport?

The smallest known mammal in the world is what?

Etruscan Shrew

Opossum

Rat

Beaver

The Etruscan Shrew only grows to be around 1.6 inches, so it's easy to miss. Despite their very tiny size, their weight is what makes them the smallest known mammal on Earth at only a little more than one gram.

There's a lot that goes on in a few minutes. How does a microwave heat things up?

By emitting hot air

By the heat from the sides of the unit

Through radiation

With light

The radiation in a microwave is what heats up our meals. Although it can be quite the helpful appliance, don't put a spoon in there with your meal. It's possible that you might break your microwave if you do that.

When traveling to other countries it is important to be prepared. Which emergency service does the number 119 call in China?

Ambulance

Police

Firefighters

It doesn't call any emergency service.

When traveling to other countries, it's important to know emergency numbers to call in times of need as they are not always the same. While in China, the firefighters can be called by 119 and the police are 110.

What makes a 3-pointer in basketball?

Shoot from the three-point line

Shoot from underneath the basket

Throw the ball backwards into the basket

Throw the ball into the basket from the bleachers

A three-pointer is thrown from the three-point line and the ball must make it into the basket to be counted. One of the first three-pointers​ was scored by Jerry Harkness in the '60s, setting a precedent for the basketball world.

Now with a company named after him, what did Alexander Graham Bell invent?

The lightbulb

The car

The television

The telephone

Alexander Graham Bell is the inventor of the telephone, an invention which has changed the world. Bell Telephone System, now AT&T, was named after the legendary inventor.

Which of the following is said to be the deadliest animal in the world?

Giraffe

Moose

Mosquito

Tiger

Mosquitoes may seem pretty harmless other than the fact that they can suck your blood. Unfortunately, they can be deadly due to the diseases they can carry and transmit. Malaria is one of the biggest diseases they can carry.

You'll have to look up to get this one right. What is the tallest tree in the world?

Redwood

Pine

Palm

Maple

These incredible trees might hurt your neck to look at! They can stand almost 400 feet tall and just like their expansive height, they also have quite the long lifespan. They can stand tall for around 2,000 years.

What is used to measure the power of an earthquake?

Richter Scale

Caliper

Angle Gauge

Fathometer

The Richter Scale measures the size and magnitude of earthquakes. Did you know there has never been an earthquake that has hit a magnitude of 10 on the scale?

All sweet stuff has to come from somewhere. What plant does molasses come from?

Sugar cane

Moss

Bamboo

Sycamore

Molasses is one sweet and yummy substance that we have the luxury of enjoying. One form comes from sugar cane, which is most often used in food flavoring.

We don't really know all of the secrets that the ocean has to offer, but we know it's pretty deep down there. What is the deepest part of the ocean?

Marianas Trench

The Coral Reef

The Challenger Deep

Gulf of Mexico

The Challenger Deep is an area in the Marianas Trench which is around 11,000 meters deep. It's part of the Pacific Ocean. The Challenger Deep often experiences earthquakes due to the plates that touch and hit each other there.

What kind of galaxy do we live in?

A spiral galaxy

An irregular galaxy

An elliptical galaxy

None of the above

Our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy. The qualifications for something to be considered a galaxy is that it must have more than 1 billion stars. Maybe one day we'll be able to visit the distant galaxies in our universe.

Water often surrounds many of the countries throughout the world. Which country has the longest coastline?

Canada

Denmark

Russia

England

Although Russia is the biggest country in the world, its coastline length doesn't come close to​ that of Canada's. In fact, the country with the second-largest coastline is Norway. There's around a 143,000-kilometer difference between the two coastline totals.

Eating healthy is made a little easier with the food groups. How many food groups are there in the United States?

Two

Four

Five

Ten

The five food groups help to educate people on nutrition and what they need to eat for a healthy diet. The five groups are dairy, grains, protein, fruits and vegetables. Eating the right food is something that is encouraged and taught in school with the help of these groups, which are guidelines the U.S. government approves.

What are humans said to go through at one point in their lives?

Mid-life crisis

Early growth

Late power trips

A period where they lie

A mid-life crisis is something that humans are said to get when they hit their middle age years. It can be a little different for each person but common signs include fear of getting older and other existential worries.

A comet is made of what?

Chlorine

Stars

Dust

Diesel

A comet is made of several materials, including dust and many other gasses. One of the most famous comets, Halley's Comet, passes by the Earth every 75 years. it's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it!

Sometimes areas of the Earth can get pretty warm. Where was the hottest temperature ever recorded on our planet?

The Sahara Desert

Cape Town

Death Valley

Tirat Zvi

Death Valley is located in California and the record temperature was 134 degrees Fahrenheit. This was recorded in 1913 and has not been surpassed since. Death Valley is very often referred to as the hottest place on Earth.

Who invented the internet?

Mark Zuckerberg

Jeff Bezos

Elon Musk

Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee is the creator of what eventually became the World Wide Web, or the internet as we now know it. Despite his amazing invention, today he works as a professor in England.

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About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!

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